Rafa Nadal is already in the quarterfinals. And not just any rooms. After overcoming Félix Auger-Aliassime, the Balearic’s next rival will be Novak Djokovic, the world number one. The last confrontation between the two, precisely, it came in the semi-finals of Roland Garros last year. About his rivalry, among other things, the Spaniard spoke when certifying the victory against the Canadian prodigy. He later went on to say that this could be the last game of his career in the French tournament: “Hopefully it won’t be like that and that I can continue to come for many years. But if things don’t go well, Tuesday’s could be my last game here, that’s why I’d like to play it during the day,” said the Spaniard, partly with the intention of committing the organization so that it does not program the great world tennis classic in the night session. “I know the tournament by day, not so much by night, because that’s how I’ve played it all my life,” he added.
Roland Garros: “It’s incredible to play in the Chatrier with this incomparable atmosphere. For me it is the most important tournament of my career.”
Auger-Aliaissime: “He is a great player, one of the best in the world. Young, with a lot of power, great mobility. He has been a very tough opponent because he has done many things well. He is improving year after year. He is a great boy and a great colleague on the circuit. I wish him the best”.
Match analysis: “I didn’t start the match well. In the third I played better. In the fourth I also missed break chances. He has a great serve and puts a lot of pressure on you. But I’m proud of the attitude at the end, when I was aggressive.”
Djokovic: “We know each other very well. We have had many stories together. He comes from winning in Paris and it is not an ideal situation for me. But this is Roland Garros and it is my favorite tournament. What I guarantee is that I will try to do my best and I will fight to the end.”
In the press conference after the match, Nadal expanded a little more on his impressions of the match and answered other questions.
Difference in the match: “Well, it made a difference that I played a little bit better. That is, in the end, the sport is normally very simple. When you play better you have better chances; if you play worse, then of course you have less chance. In this case, when I played well, I won the match. When I played not so well, I had a lot of problems. Because in the first set I didn’t play well, so I lost. After the first set and a half I started to play much better, in my opinion, much more aggressive. Then I played a good end of the second set and I think a very good third set. Later I made a super mistake at the beginning of the fourth, when the situation had already changed and I was in control of the match, and then I suffered. But the most important thing I played again I think a good fifth set, and especially the last three, four games I played the right way. All respect and credit to Felix, he’s playing better and better. If you’re not able to push him back, it is very difficult to control him, because he has a bad serve rme and the first right shot from him is very aggressive.”
Recovery routine: “Some stretches with my physio. Then I’ll eat something probably. I’ll get some sleep. I’ll try to get in a good workout tomorrow and rest in the afternoon. That’s it. Nothing special. Not much can be done. I just hope I’m healthy enough to have good training tomorrow. That’s all.”
king of the earth: “No, nobody calls me that, in my family or even in my close group of people. I never feel that way. Of course, I achieved more than the rest on this surface, so I don’t need to be called the king of nothing. I know what I did in my tennis career, and especially on this surface. And that’s it. Nothing more.”
Last duel against Djokovic at Roland Garros: “Well, I don’t know 100%, because I don’t have a closed test against him, because my last match against him was, I think, last year here. I haven’t played these kinds of matches for the last three months, so it goes It’s going to be a big challenge for me. Of course he already won, I consider the last nine games in a row, the ones in Rome and now four here in straight sets. He’ll probably have confidence. I know what my situation is and I accept it well. I’m going to fight That’s it. I can’t complain too much. I’m in the quarterfinals at Roland Garros. Two and a half weeks ago, I didn’t even know if I could be here. So I just enjoy the fact that I’m here for another year. And to be honest , every match I play I don’t know if it’s going to be my last at Roland Garros of my tennis career. That’s my situation now. I went through a difficult process again with my foot, so I don’t know what can happen in the near future with my career. But that’s why I’m just trying to enjoy myself as much as possible and fight as much as I can to continue living the dream that is to continue playing tennis and be back in a very advanced round of Roland Garros, playing against the number one in the world. Let’s see. I hope I can give myself the opportunity to play at the highest level possible and we’ll see.”
50th anniversary of Andrés Gimeno’s title: “I got to know him for many years. He was one of the most important players in our history. It’s sad that he can’t be here. That’s life. Somehow his legacy and his memory will stay with us, without a doubt” .
be number one: “In my case, I can’t clearly answer that question, because even when I was number one, I never considered myself number one. So for me it’s just a number. My focus, my daily base and all my goals in each tournament that I play, they never changed if I was number one, number three or number six. So in that way, I never felt any extra pressure to be number one, any extra happiness. Of course, when you make it, it’s a beautiful moment. But then I never woke up in the morning thinking, ‘I’m number one’. I’ve had a normal life being one, five or ten. In my personal case, I work the same way to try to improve. I never felt any extra pressure to be the one or to keep it, no, because my pressure has always been the same. It’s just trying to be ready for every tournament I play.”